Saturday, 9 October 2010

Ultimate Six Frock Coat - the easy fabrics

Last weekend I had the privilege yet again of gaining hand-on access to one of the original Six Frock Coats.

While I had it on my workbench, I took the opportunity to check the match on the first few fabrics I think I have nailed.

Fabrics 2, 3, 5 and 10

Working on the basis of grab it quick before it’s gone, I’ve invested in these first few fabrics for my Six Coat.

So far all these easy ones come from the same single source, so it was nice and simple to get hold of them, and on this occasion they weren’t discontinued lines!

This makes a change, as a couple of my cosplaying friends will vouch for.

2 Purple Felt

This was a surprise match I found last time the coat was here, and lead onto the others below.
Note how in the photo (see right) the crush of fabric in the top left of the picture is my sample - it almost disappears into the panel of the coat.

The fabric is quite expensive, but being the perfect match and only used for two panels, the price won’t be too much of an issue.

It is exactly the right type of fabric and is precisely the correct colour – a good start!

3 Green Felt

From the same range of felt I found for the Purple, this green is not such a good match as I had hope.

Pity, as it would have made my job a lot easier!

I had also picked up a remnant of green baize at John Lewis, but this was even further away from the correct colour, being even bluer than my sample here (see left).

Still, I know what type of fabic I am looking for, and armed with this sample I can source something that is closer. With luck!

5 Red Felt

The third and final one from the same range of felt I found for the Purple and Green, this red is not a million miles off.

When we were comparing the fabric, we all thought it was a good match, though my camera had slightly other views (see right).

This coat does, however, suffer from a fair bit of fading, partly due to its age, but also because it was put through the mill.

This was the very coat The Doctor rolled in the snow with a mutant in Revelation Of The Daleks, and in the latter stages of Trial Of A Time Lord, it was covered in muck for the quicksand scene.

The coat was subsequently repeatedly cleaned (not entirely successfully) to get the stains out, so it is possible the red is not as vibrant as it was when originally made.

10 Cuffs

The cuffs are made from exactly the same fabric as the Six Trousers, namely pillow ticking.

This needs to be dyed yellow, which I have already done once for the trousers I made last year.

You can read about that under Making Phoenix Fabric.
The colour difference in the photo (see left) is more down to the coat being old, worn and over-washed due to its hard life!

All in all a good result on my first batch of fabrics.

This just leaves the over-dyed wools, a tricky velvet and four possible re-weaves! Oh, and to nail the pattern.
Walk in the park!